Mary Jane Kier

Mary Jane Kier, 79, of Madrid, passed away June 24, 2022, at the Imperial Manor in Imperial, Nebraska.

Mary was born September 14, 1942, to Joseph and Francis (Wright) Yost. Because Mary's father was a mail carrier, the family moved frequently following his work. She attended school primarily in McCook, Nebraska.

Mary lived and worked in various communities until she moved to Madrid, NE in 1976. She decided to lay down some more permanent roots with her adoptive father, Sheldon Kramer and her daughter Jennifer. It was there that she met the love of her life, Richard Kier of Benkelman. They were introduced to one another by her Aunt Eva and his Uncle Oscar. On March 14, 1981, they were united in marriage and set up their home in Madrid. However, after less than two years of a joyful marriage, the union was cut tragically short by a fatal motorcycle accident that claimed Richard's life.

For just over 30 years, Mary worked as a dishwasher and then as a cook in the Perkins County Hospital. She took pride in her job as a cook serving the patients and the staff that worked there. The care she put into her cooking was evident especially in her fried chicken. She retired in 2008, at the age of 65. She lived in her Madrid home until mid 2018 when she was unable to fully recover after suffering a fall. For the last four years, Mary has been a resident of the Imperial Manor where she received loving care during her battle with Parkinson's disease and dementia.

Baking was Mary's way of showing love and appreciation. Mary was especially known for her Christmas goodies, from poppy seed bread and peanut clusters to her "chewy" bars made with chocolate, caramel, and oatmeal.

Because of her small size and ornery sense of humor, one of Mary's favorite sayings was "dynamite comes in small packages." Never shying away from giving someone a hard time, she was also more than willing to take it. She will always be remembered for her fun personality, the way she loved her family and friends, her cooking and baking, and her faith in Christ, which shaped the woman she became.

Mary loved to be surrounded by her children and grandchildren. Planning for holidays and reunions was something she always looked forward to. Mary's retirement allowed her more time for a vibrant social life. She finally had more opportunity to go to the school games and community events. A great joy for Mary was travelling with her friends the Regiers to Kansas City, where she would see her daughter Jennifer, and the Rasmus family Jennifer was a nanny for. Mary could often be seen on walks around town with her dear friends Linda and Gloria. She also was a regular for coffee time at the diner where she was able to keep up with the latest going-ons in Madrid. Mary was also a huge Husker fan. If a game was on, she was watching it! A highlight for Mary was a gift of Husker tickets given by the Rasmus family so that she could watch her beloved team in their home stadium.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Richard L. Kier; brother, Sonny Yost; son, Herbert Kier; along with her beloved friend and "honorary grandma" to her daughter, Anna Klima.

Mary is survived by her daughters, Jennifer Kier of Madrid; and Judy Baney of North Platte; sons, Robert Kier and his wife Karen of Hershey, Kenneth Kier and his wife Shirley of Arkansas; 11 grandchildren and a multitude of great-grandchildren; two sisters, Kay McGuire of Lincoln and Glenda Ewing of Kearney; along with many other relatives and friends.

A memorial has been established in Mary's memory for later designation. Condolences may be shared at bullocklongfuneralhome.com, where the service will be streamed live.

Services will be Thursday, June 30, 2022, at 10 a.m. (MT) at the Grant Evangelical Free Church, with Pastor Russ Gaar officiating. Interment will be in the Glendale Cemetery at Vernon, Colorado.

Visitation will be on Wednesday from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. (MT) at the Bullock Long Funeral Home in Grant.

Bullock-Long Funeral Home of Grant is in charged of arrangements.